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My happy campus life
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Ruth Follos
AS my first real job after graduating in England I was literally itching to get out of the UK. I wanted to spend some serious time in a completely different country; on the other side of the world, far from anything familiar, somewhere I knew nothing about and had no former links with. I knew I needed to be learning as well as teaching, which is exactly what I have been able to do here in Shenzhen.
The campus life here has given me many happy memories that I will never ever forget. It's been an experience and a half. All those Foreign Language Club parties, fancy dress parties, dinners and outings, not to mention the immense amount of free time I have spent with students.
My past students, current ones and fellow teachers are always friendly when I meet them on campus: friendly smiles and little waves help to brighten anybody's day. I realize that as foreigners, myself and my colleagues often get long stares even though we walk around the place everyday. I am always amused by those students who are a little afraid to speak to me but like to shout 'hello' after I have walked past and then walk away giggling with their mates.
There are certain times of the day when you may get bombarded by hoards of students as the classes all finish at the same time and there is a 'mass exodus' towards the dormitories or the canteens. I prefer to avoid those times unless I am whizzing through on my bicycle.
At night the campus becomes somewhat different. You always see more young couples having those romantic slow walks or quiet moments by the lake. There are activities that may go on out of doors such as the English Corner held on the island on campus or an exhibition of some sort. My favourite is watching them doing kung fu on the grass and practising their marching up and down the road for the sports meet.
Many students claim that their level of spoken English is "so poor". I often have students paying me a visit in order to practise their speaking. I too can benefit from this. Apart from the obvious benefits like getting my Chinese corrected, getting cheaper bargains when we go downtown or getting home-cooked meals with their families, what we get is a cultural exchange of ideas, customs and language. There was one thing that worried me though. I started to become aware that my own English was going through an unprecedented period of change. I became aware that I would sometimes talk naturally in Chinglish to ensure that they can grasp my meaning. How many times have I apologetically corrected myself after saying "I very like" or "Let's go and play in Shenzhen okay?"
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